Muc-Off has announced its headline sponsorship deal for 2021, as the accessories and bike care brand partners with the EF Education-NIPPO Pro Cycling Team.
“We’re stoked to add yet another top cycling team to the Muc-Off roster,” said Alex Trimnell, CEO at Muc-Off.
“EF Education-NIPPO are a breath of fresh air in the professional peloton and have really shaken up a sport that’s steeped in tradition over the past couple of seasons. We’re beyond excited to be joining them on their journey of pushing the boundaries of the sport in a fun and inclusive way.”
With 30 riders representing 15 nationalities across the globe, the team roster is one of the biggest and most geographically diverse in the pro peloton. The team’s 2021 rider line-up includes Olympic Silver Medallist Rigoberto Urán, Classics specialist Michael Valgren, US National Road Race Champ Alex Howes and Lachlan Morton, who not only races WorldTour but also won the GBDURO John o’ Groats to Land’s End ultra-endurance off-road race in 2020.
To keep the team running smoothly, Muc-Off will be supplying its entire range of bicycle care and maintenance products, from its pink Nano Tech Bike Cleaner to lubricants and everything in between. On top of this, the team will also be running tubeless for the majority of races and adding a little more bling to their team bikes with Muc-Off Tubeless Valves.
Muc-Off has been paving the way in drivetrain optimisation with heaps of R&D going into bicycle lubricants and chain treatments over the years. Its development with Team Sky (now INEOS Grenadiers) in 2014 was to create a super-fast and durable Hydrodynamic Lube. This was followed by working with Bradley Wiggins for his Hour Record in 2015 using the company’s NTC programme, and more recently, the work to develop the L.O.P.S System with Bahrain McLaren and Mikel Landa.
‘This partnership with EF Education-NIPPO offers yet another testbed for further innovation at WorldTour level and the opportunity to help propel the team into the history books through marginal gains in drivetrain optimisation.’
“Both the mechanics department and the performance department are very pleased to have Muc-Off on board in 2021,” said Andreas Klier, EF Education-NIPPO Sport Director and Technical Operations and Commercial Manager.
“Their reputation inside the WorldTour peloton is a very good one, and we are looking forward to using their products pre, during, and post racing, and of course during training. Over the last few years, the fine-tuning of the race material in general has come to the forefront, and we are excited to take this next step forward with our bike maintenance products.”
With a stage win at the Tour de France and multiple stage victories at the Giro d’Italia and La Vuelta, the team will be looking to build on an impressive 2020 and aim for new heights in the 2021 season.
